Page 90 of The Summer We Mended
Hey Jess,
Wow, love what you suggested.But to be honest, $850 is just way out of range for us right now.We’re still recovering from renovations.If you’re ever running any kind of discount or lower-cost service, let me know.
Appreciate your time!
Jess sat back in her chair.It was always this way with small businesses on the island—so many of them struggling to stay afloat with the rhythm of the seasons.She understood.She did.But still, that tightness in her chest formed every time the answer was no.
She replied:
Totally understand, Lila.If anything changes down the road, I’d be happy to help.Best of luck with the reopening!
She hit send, then let her head fall back onto the chair behind her.For every enthusiastic message, there seemed to be three rejections.Sometimes polite, sometimes blunt.The no’s were stacking up.
She could drop her prices.
The thought lingered in the air like fog.She knew what that road looked like.She’d been down it when she was just getting started with her tech company.She’d do anything, even offering free consulting for huge businesses, just to get her foot in the door.And it had worked, sort of.
However, she also knew that certain people would expect $1000 of work for $200 and also want to micromanage every detail.
It left her drained and questioning her own ability, wondering if this thing she was trying to build had any real future.She couldn’t discount her prices like that again.
She chided herself for the thought, especially since she was back in the Vineyard, living with her parents, sleeping in her childhood bedroom like a teenager again.Every cent she earned went toward Maisie and saving for their own place.It would’ve been so easy to just say yes, to take whatever people were offering.But Jess had made a decision when she left Clark, when she started over, that she wasn’t going to undervalue herself anymore.
Her phone started buzzing, and she looked down to see the devil himself smiling back at her.
The timing was impeccable.She stared at the screen, her jaw tightening, then answered with a clipped “Hello?”
“Jess,” Clark said, his voice softened.“How are you?”
“I’m good.Busy.”
He hesitated.“I’ve been thinking.About you.About us.I know things ended a little… fast.But I forgive you for that.I really think we could try again.”
Jess blinked.Surely she hadn’t heard this man right.He was forgiving her, after he’d ruined her business and credibility?She’d lost their home, her business, everything she’d worked so hard for because of his fraud and embezzlement.Was he drunk?
“You forgive me?”
“For ending it, quitting on us.Walking away,” he said, like it was a gracious offer.“I just think, for Maisie’s sake, it’s worth another shot.”
She sat up straighter, her spine stiff.“Clark, I ended things because of your lying, your stealing, and the way you disrespected our marriage.Forgiveness isn’t what we’re lacking here, it’s accountability.”
There was a beat of silence.
He cleared his throat.“I just thought maybe you missed having us all together.”
She felt a small pang in her chest, not because she missed him, but because there had been so many nights when she did miss the idea of them—of family dinners, of not doing it all alone.And in the past, she had said yes.She had wavered.For Maisie.
But not anymore.She learned her lesson after the tenth time.
“No,” Jess said calmly.“I don’t miss pretending everything was okay.I don’t miss apologizing for your behavior.And I don’t miss being the only adult in the relationship.”
Another pause.She didn’t wait for a reply.
“I wish you the best, Clark.But I’m not interested in going backward.”She hung up.
For a moment, she stared at the phone in her hand.Then, slowly, a smile crept across her face.It wasn’t easy, but she felt strong, stronger than she had in a long time.It wasn’t just about Clark.It was about her business, her future, her sense of self.
She got up and stretched, letting the weight of the morning roll off her shoulders.
